Half of European truck operators can’t expand due to driver shortages

IRU's new European truck driver shortage report has found that over half of operators are unable to expand their business due to the shortage of drivers.

More than half of European trucking companies are unable to expand their business because they can't find skilled workers due to the shortage of truck drivers, according to IRU's 2023 study surveying over 1,000 European road goods transport operators.

Other consequences of the shortage include reduced productivity for nearly 50% of companies and a decline in revenue for 39%.

The EU, Norway and the UK are together missing over 233,000 truck drivers. This is projected to exceed 745,000 by 2028 due to retiring drivers if no significant action is taken.

The European truck driver profession has an ageing population with an average age of 47. One third of truck drivers are over 55 and expected to retire in the next ten years, while less than 5% are below 25 years of age.